A 30-year-old property dealer was gunned down in broad daylight near Shalimar Garden area of Ghaziabad on Wednesday. Peeyush Khandelwal reports.

A 30-year-old property dealer was gunned down in broad daylight near Shalimar Garden area of Ghaziabad on Wednesday.

Police investigations revealed that the victim had eloped with a 17-year-old girl from Loni area of Ghaziabad seven years ago. Police said her father Azad Gurjar sent four men to kill Vikas Pandit, who died on his way to hospital.

The police have detained four men, including Praveen Nagar, who the girl's father allegedly sent to trap the victim. Initial investigations also revealed that a court had given Gurjar's the custody of his daughter after she had eloped with Pandit seven years ago and the latter arrested by the police.

"But before the court, the girl had stated that she had willingly gone with her friend and wanted to marry him. After her statements, Pandit was let off and, since she was a minor, her custody handed over to her parents," senior superintendent of police (SSP) Raghubir Lal said.

The SSP said investigations have also revealed that since that day seven years ago, the girl was never seen, raising suspicion that she may have been killed by her family.

Police said Gurjar had sent Nagar and Rajesh Dhama to persuade the victim to come to Ghaziabad.